


Burnt Offerings (2009)

by JennyB



Series: Advent 2009 [4]
Category: Saiyuki
Genre: Advent Challenge 2009, Cute, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-04
Updated: 2009-12-04
Packaged: 2018-01-05 11:52:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1093575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JennyB/pseuds/JennyB
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Goku tries his hand at baking, and in the end, he winds up with a very unexpected gift from Sanzo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Burnt Offerings (2009)

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Advent Challenge 2009. Prompt: Christmas cookies

Sanzo arched a brow as he looked down at the plate that had been set in front of him. On it were three _items_ that in another time and place, one might call cookies - if they weren't so misshapen and singed. He could tell from the lopsided icing smiley-faces on the heads that they were supposed to be humanoids of some sort, and when he saw what appeared to be wings, he surmised that they were probably angels. Either that, or some sort of flying demons. "What the fuck are those?" he asked as he reached for his cigarettes and lit one up.

"They're cookies, duh," Goku replied, a hint of pride in his golden eyes. "Christmas cookies. I made them myself!"

"Tch." The violet gaze again raked assessingly over the biscuits, and then flicked back up to the teen. "Since when do you know how to bake?"

"Since Hakkai taught me. He was making some to send to people as gifts, and I told him I wanted to make some for you, so he showed me how."

"Hn. Remind me to tell him his methods of instruction suck."

"Sanzo!" A brief flicker of hurt flashed across Goku's face. "They're just the first batch, and you didn't even taste 'em!"

"And I have no intention of doing it, either," the blond replied as he turned his attention back to his paper. "I've made it a rule that if something doesn't look right, it probably isn't right, and I'm not going to tempt fate to see if it's the exception to the rule."

The brunet looked completely crushed as he picked up the plate containing his precious creations. "You're such a big, mean dumbass," he remarked as he headed back into the kitchen. 

The second attempt was no better than the first, and when the smoke alarm went off with the third, Sanzo gathered up his cigarettes and left the building to go for a walk. During his wandering, he happened across a bar, and he headed inside to have a beer. Some time later, he felt a presence settle onto the stool on his left, and when he heard a soft voice ask for a bottle of sake, he rolled his eyes. "Shit," he muttered irritably. "You're like a damned bloodhound."

Hakkai chuckled softly. "Do you really think so?" he asked as he thanked the bartender for his drink. "Goku was worried, so I told him I'd look for you." He smiled a little as he poured. "It wasn't so much that I tracked you here as that I can predict your behaviours."

The blond scowled at that. "Well, you've found me. You can report back to Goku that I'm alive and well, and leave me in peace."

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as that," Hakkai said as he sipped his drink.

"What the hell's complicated about it?"

Hakkai smiled softly even as he glanced at the blond with one of those _I'm very disappointed in you_ looks. "Goku's quite upset."

Sanzo snorted at that. "What are you? His nursemaid? Tell him to get over it. I'm not his dada, and I'm not about to start reporting my comings and goings to him."

"That isn't the real issue, Sanzo," Hakkai replied gently. "I mean, yes, he'll be relieved to know that nothing's happened to you, but for the most part, he's upset because you flat-out rejected his gift."

"Gift? What the hell are you talking about?"

Hakkai sighed. "Did you not notice how quiet he was this morning, and how _occupied_ he was?"

The blond's face fell. "Are you talking about those shitty cookies he was baking?"

Hakkai's expression softened. "That's how they may have looked to you, but to him, they were a labour of love. Something he created with his own two hands to give to you. He wasn't doing it for Gojyo or me - just _you_." He sighed heavily. "I suppose I'm to blame for putting the idea into his head. After all, I told him that anyone can buy something, but those sorts of gifts truly come from the heart."

Sanzo scowled again. Hakkai had the uncanny ability to make him feel like shit for the smallest transgressions, and in his irritation, he tossed back the rest of his drink. "I hate you both."

Hakkai chuckled as he finished his drink. "Yes, Sanzo; of course you do." He slipped off his stool and paid the barman for the sake. "I'll tell Goku to expect you in a little while."

"You do that," the blond muttered. He watched the demon leave, and he ordered one more drink. A drink he found he couldn't enjoy thanks to the healer and his guilt trip. "Bastard," he muttered to himself. "Now I'm picking up your shitty personality defects." He downed the beer, paid his tab, and then returned to the street, slowly making his way back to the inn as he mulled over what Hakkai had told him. Upon entering the room, he found Goku sprawled on the couch and half-watching something on the television. Sanzo arched a brow, and as he lit a cigarette, he said gruffly, "I thought you were baking."

Goku glanced over at the blond when he was addressed, and then he shrugged. "I was, but I suck at it. So, I decided to stick to what I know. Stupid monkey's only good at eating and fighting, ne?"

Sanzo just stood there speechless for a few moments. If there was one thing he could count on, it was Goku's unflappable ability to bounce back from any sort of loss. But this? The priest frowned a little, another one of those uncomfortable guilty feelings causing his stomach to twist. Had Goku seriously put so much of himself in those stupid cookies that Sanzo's outright rejection had crippled the monkey's spirit? Or had he just been that affected by Hakkai's words? His frown deepened. He wasn't prepared to accept either excuse. In three strides, he'd crossed the room, and with one lithe movement, he'd cracked the teen across the back of the head with his harisen. "Idiot," he muttered.

"Ow!" A frown settled on the teen's face as he looked up into the angry violet gaze. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"So you weren't a master chef the first time. Do you think Hakkai was the first time he baked? Try again, you stupid ape. How the hell else are you going to learn?" The priest paused for a moment. "Now quit moping, get your ass in the kitchen, and show me what you're doing."

Golden eyes went round and wide. It wasn't every day that Sanzo offered him anything that even remotely resembled encouragement, and even rarer that the blond suggested that they do _anything_ together. A big, goofy grin spread across Goku's face. "Really?" He practically fell over himself as he scrambled up off the couch and hurried into the kitchen to gather together the things he'd need for his project. "They'll be perfect this time!" he announced as he began measuring out flour and sugar. "I promise!"

Sanzo rolled his eyes as he settled on a stool at the counter. "They don't have to be perfect," he said. "But a little less burned would be an improvement." He fell silent while Goku worked, occasionally offering his opinion on how to deal with the overly-sticky dough, and suggestions for how to roll a more uniform sheet. As the first tray baked, Sanzo told the brunet to take them out a couple of minutes early, informing him that not every oven cooked in exactly the same way, and that sometimes the timings needed to be adjusted. When they were done, he allowed a small smile to briefly turn his lips upward when he saw the sheer joy on Goku's face upon seeing the beautifully golden cookies. "There. Now you know how to do it. You can make the next batch yourself, ne?" He smirked as he got to his feet, and he ran his fingertip around the rim of the bowl, gathering up a sample of the batter. When he saw the teen staring at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed, he shrugged. "What? It tastes...good," he remarked as he licked his finger. He dipped the digit again. "Try it for yourself."

"Ok." Before Sanzo could move his hand to eat the bit of dough, Goku had grabbed his wrist. Hesitantly, he looked up at the other, and then he very carefully let his teeth graze over the pad of the monk's finger. "Mmm! It _is_ good!" he exclaimed.

Sanzo pinked a little at the intimate gesture, but rather than berate the teen for what he'd done, he merely nodded, letting his expression soften just a bit as he sucked the last remnants from his skin. "I'm going for a smoke. Remember to watch them, ne?" He went over to the window and pushed it open, and he lost himself for a while in his thoughts. He didn't often go out of his way to make Goku happy, but for some reason, doing so today had felt...alright. When he'd finished, he remained at the window just letting his mind drift with respect to the teen and their relationship. It was different from the one he'd had with Koumyou, but at the same time, there was a similar attachment there, too. He snorted in amusement to himself. Perhaps that whole letting people close thing wasn't _entirely_ bad.

He was jarred from his thoughts by a nudge to his elbow, and when he turned and looked down, he saw the plate from before with three cookies on it. Like before, they had the childishly drawn smiley-face, but this time, Goku had hacked the wings off the angels and had put two rectangles of green icing at the shoulders, and a wide belt at the waist. He arched a brow as he looked up at the young brunet. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked, even as he smirked at the three little Sanzos staring back at him. "Is that what you think I look like?"

Goku giggled a little. "Hell no. Besides, you'd make a terrible cookie. Cookies are sweet and most people like them. It's just coincidence that they kind of look like you. Except bald."

"Idiot," Sanzo replied. "Did you make them all like that?"

Goku grinned. "No, just those ones. I thought it'd be funny."

The blond snickered. "Tch. You're so weird." He got up from the windowsill and carried the plate over to the coffee table to set it there, and then he went into the kitchen, coming back a moment later with coffee for himself and a bottle of milk for the other. Once he'd sat down, he took a sip of his coffee and then picked up the plate, balancing it on his knee. "Well?" he demanded as he looked at the teen. "Are you going to just stand there, or are you going to help me eat some of your handiwork?"

If possible, Goku grinned even wider, and he bounded over to the couch, willingly settling at Sanzo's side. "You go first," he said as he picked up one of the cookies.

The blond arched a brow at that, and then promptly bit the head off one of the mini monks - much to the other's delight. Once again, he felt the slight pull of a smile at his lips, and this time, he didn't fight the expression. If he thought about it, he was truly content. He had a hot coffee in his hand and a warm body cuddled against his side, and to his great surprise, he was enjoying the best damned cookie of his life.


End file.
